This short 360 degree documentary puts you inside campaign rallies
VR is getting involved in the 2016 presidential race. The New York Times has just added a new 360 degree video The Contenders to its NYT VR app, in which it puts Google Cardboard users inside Republican and Democrat rallies and other campaign events.
So if you want to get up close and personal with Donald Trump fans or experience the atmosphere just before Hillary Clinton steps up to the podium, it’s worth downloading the eight minute film via the app. If you don’t have a Cardboard headset, you can also choose to view The Contenders on an iPhone or Android phone.
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A VR video like this is unlikely to sway you between one candidate and another but in terms of seeing college students getting overly excited about Bernie Sanders, say, it’s a fascinating way to see the reactions the candidates are getting around the US.
It’s not the first example of 360 degree video in news reporting – the NYT VR’s app also includes some short United Nations documentaries, ABC News has used the medium to report from Syria and BBC News filmed an immersive video in the refugee camps in Calais.
Virtual reality movies, games and experiences have had a cracking start to 2016 with Oculus’ new VR movie Dear Angelica and both Hollywood and indie experiments at Sundance 2016 as well as lots of new Steam VR games to look forward to from Valve’s developer showcase.